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Thursday, 15 August 2024
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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 71, 00-04-10Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 4, No. 71, 10 April 2000CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] AZERBAIJAN'S SOCAR TO RESUME OIL EXPORTSSOCAR's press service told Interfax on 9 April that the state oilcompany will resume oil exports next week via the Baku- Novorossiisk pipeline. It plans to export approximately 2 million tons of oil by that route this year. So far this year, however, SOCAR has used this route for only three days in mid-January, pumping approximately 7,000 tons of oil. Meanwhile, SOCAR President Natik Aliev said that Baku does not look to Iran as a major market for selling its gas. He suggested that Turkmenistan would dominate that export sector. PG [02] ALIEV, NAZARBAEV HOPE FOR CIS IMPROVEMENTSMeeting on 8 April in advance of the scheduled Turkic summit,Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev said that they hope the election of Vladimir Putin as president of Russia will make the CIS "a more efficient" body, Interfax reported. Aliev noted that the CIS has so far failed to live up to expectations. PG [03] TURKIC SUMMIT CALLS FOR COOPERATION ON OIL, CRIMEThe leaders of six Turkic-language countries--including thepresidents of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan as well as the parliamentary speakers of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan--met in Baku on 8 April for their annual summit, ITAR- TASS reported. They agreed to work more closely to export raw materials, particularly oil, and to fight crime and international terrorism. Azerbaijani President Aliev said that this sixth Turkic summit (the first was in 1992) will help boost trade, economic, and cultural ties among the six. PG [04] TURKIC COUNTRIES MARK 1300TH ANNIVERSARY OF LITERARY MONUMENTRepresentatives from around the Turkic world met in Baku on 9April to mark the 1300th anniversary of the Turkic epic Kitab-i Dede Qorqut, generally considered to be the first literary monument in Turkic, ITAR-TASS reported. The original manuscript is in Dresden, Germany, but Azerbaijan was recently given a facsimile copy. PG [05] SHEVARDNADZE OVERWHELMINGLY WINS SECOND TERMWith most votes counted, Eduard Shevardnadze won a second five-year term as Georgian president in the 9 April elections. He received more than 80 percent of the vote, with his nearest competitor, Dzhumber Patiashvili, garnering only 16 percent. Turnout was reported at 70 percent. Shevardnadze's victory came after two of his opponents, including Adjari's Aslan Abashidze, withdrew at the last moment. The day before the vote, Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin telephoned Shevardnadze to wish him luck, ITAR-TASS reported on 8 April. PG [06] VIOLATIONS MAR GEORGIAN VOTEThe campaign office of defeated presidential challengerPatiashvili said that there were numerous violations of the electoral law, a charge the Georgian Central Election Commission denied on 9 April. But at least some of the 150 foreign observers also noted violations. One, OSCE representative Hans Gutbod, was ejected from a polling station in Western Georgia when he attempted to investigate ballot box stuffing and other violations of the law, ITAR-TASS reported. PG [07] GEORGIA SEEKS EXPANDED OSCE PRESENCE ON CHECHEN BORDERA Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman told dpa on 8 April thatTbilisi would like the OSCE to expand its presence on the Georgian-Chechen border. Tbilisi is concerned that with the coming of spring, Chechen fighters will cross the mountains into Georgia. Currently, the OSCE has 12 observers there, ITAR-TASS reported. PG [08] KAZAKHSTAN TO INCREASE PRODUCTION, EXPORT GAS VIA RUSSIA,AZERBAIJANKazakhoil President Nurlan Balgimbaev announced on 9 April that his company may double production over the next two years and is considering exporting natural gas to Turkey via both Russia and Azerbaijan. To handle these increased exports, he said, Kazakhstan is vitally interested in the construction of a new pipeline to the West. PG [09] KAZAKHSTAN'S GDP UP 7 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTERKazakhstan's GDP grew by 7 percent in the first quarter of 2000,compared with the same period in 1999, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported on 7 April. PG [10] KAZAKHSTAN'S NAZARBAEV PROMISES HELP FOR UZBEKISTANKazakhstan President Nazarbaev said in Baku on 8 April that hiscountry will regard actions directed against Uzbekistan as actions directed against Kazakhstan and will do what it can to oppose terrorism in the Central Asian region, Interfax reported. He said that he has information that extremists "operating under the cover of religion" plan to try to destabilize Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan officials again denied any involvement with a truck allegedly carrying radioactive materials, Reuters reported on 8 April. PG [11] KYRGYZSTAN FEARS FURTHER DESTABILIZATION IN SOUTHKyrgyzstan Security Council secretary Bolot Dzhanuzakov toldITAR-TASS on 8 April that "the danger of a new aggravation of the situation in the south of the country and of a new attack by international terrorists from outside are real." He said that "we know for sure that international terrorists are being trained in special camps in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and some other countries. They are buying weapons and combat equipment, including transport means." And he called for regional cooperation to "do everything for the physical destruction of terrorists who pose a serious threat not only to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, but to the entire Central Asian region." PG [12] CIS SECURITY TREATY GROUP MEETS IN TAJIKISTANSecretaries of the Security Councils of Russia, Belarus,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Tajikistan met in Dushanbe on 8-9 April, ITAR-TASS reported. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov told the group that they must work together to fight the spread of narcotics, illegal migration, and terrorism. He added that he cannot rule out "pre-emptive strikes" against terrorist groups in Afghanistan. His comments were echoed by Tajikistan President Imomali Rakhmonov, who welcomed the group to his country. PG [13] UN CLOSES OFFICE IN NORTHERN TAJIKISTANThe UN mission in Tajikistan closed its last office in thenorthern part of the country on 7 April, ITAR-TASS reported. Earlier, the mission had shut down its offices in the south. The mission is slated to complete its work in Tajikistan before 15 May. PG [14] U.S. FBI DIRECTOR IN TASHKENTLouis Freeh, director of the U.S. Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, visited Tashkent on 8-9 April for discussions on cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism not only in Uzbekistan but in Central Asia as a whole, ITAR-TASS reported. He reportedly will discuss how the U.S. can cooperate in Uzbekistan's struggle "against extremism and religious fanaticism," the Russian news agency reported. PG [B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[15] CROATS, SERBS CHOOSE NATIONALISTS IN BOSNIAN VOTE...Some 70 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 8April municipal and local elections. Voters in some areas had difficulty finding polling stations, but international observers said that the vote was generally free and fair and without serious incident. Preliminary returns suggest that the nationalist Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) won in all predominantly Croatian areas. Radovan Karadzic's Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) has "swept" most areas in the Republika Srpska, "Vesti" reported on 10 April. Some observers said that the large vote for the SDS reflected many Serbs' anger over the recent arrest of prominent politician Momcilo Krajisnik and his deportation to The Hague (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 April 2000). Spokesmen for Prime Minister Milorad Dodik's Independent Social Democrats told Reuters that they are confident that their party will finish second in the Republika Srpska. Former President Biljana Plavsic's Serbian People's League and the Socialists appear headed for a "real catastrophe," "Vesti" reported. PM [16] ...WHILE BOSNIAN MUSLIMS TURN TO SOCIAL DEMOCRATSIn contrast, many Muslim voters turned away from the nationalistParty of Democratic Action (SDA) and gave the Social Democrats control of up to 20 municipalities, including Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bihac, and Gorazde. A spokesman for the SDA conceded losing a majority in only six municipalities, VOA's Croatian Service reported. Several representatives of the international community, including U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia Thomas Miller, hailed the Social Democrats' gains as the start of a "new era" in which voters will increasingly opt for issue-oriented, civic-based parties rather than nationalist ones based on ethnicity. Social Democratic leader Zlatko Lagumdzija called the election results the "biggest change since the [1995] Dayton" peace agreements. He added that "Bosnia has risen to its feet." Complete election results are expected in the course of 10 April. PM [17] POLITICAL CRISIS IN SLOVENIAPrime Minister Janez Drnovsek lost a vote of confidence on 8April, ending his eight years in office (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 April 2000). One observer said that the result is Slovenia's biggest political crisis since independence in 1991, AP reported. Marjan Podobnik, who heads the conservative People's Party, asked his party colleague Franci Demsar to try to put together a right- of-center government. Such a cabinet is expected to consist of the People's Party, the Christian Democrats, and the rightist Social Democrats, but they will lack a majority without the support of the far-right National Party of Zmago Jelincic. Jelincic has said that he will support Demsar only in return for the Interior Ministry portfolio. President Milan Kucan must call elections for no later than mid-July if Demsar fails to form a government within 30 days. PM [18] IS WASHINGTON SEEKING TIES TO MILOSEVIC?"The Sunday Times" on 9 April wrote that "there is a lot ofbargaining going on at the moment" between Washington and Belgrade. The Yugoslav government of President Slobodan Milosevic wants to overcome its isolation. The U.S. State Department hopes to restore diplomatic ties to Belgrade in order to be better informed about what is happening inside Serbia, the British weekly added. The U.S. also concerned about expanding links between Serbia and China (see "RFE/RL South Slavic Report," 16 and 23 March 2000). Russia and Greece acted as intermediaries in setting up contacts between the U.S. and Serbia, the newspaper noted. PM [19] U.S. DISCIPLINES CIA EMPLOYEES OVER BELGRADE EMBASSY BOMBINGThe CIA has fired one employee and reprimanded six others inconnection with the bombing by U.S. aircraft of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on 7 May 1999, AP reported on 9 April. U.S. officials claim that the bombing was a mistake and the result of faulty intelligence information. PM [20] JOURNALISTS DEMAND RESULTS OF SERBIAN MURDER PROBEThe Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia issued astatement on 9 April in which it demanded that the Yugoslav Interior Ministry publish the results of its investigations into the murder of Slavko Curuvija. Unidentified gunmen killed the publisher of the banned daily "Telegraf" and weekly "Evropljanin" on 11 April 1999 in Belgrade after a pro-Milosevic newspaper accused him of supporting NATO air strikes. PM [21] FRENCH SEPARATE CROWDS IN MITROVICAFrench peacekeepers used tear gas to prevent some 100 angry Serbsfrom crossing into primarily Albanian southern Mitrovica on 9 April. The Serbs were upset over a previous incident in which three ethnic Albanian employees of the OSCE crossed into northern Mitrovica and took photos. The Serbs were also concerned about large crowds forming on the Albanian side in conjunction with a soccer game. In a separate development, a Serb who escaped arrest by U.S. peacekeepers in southern Kosova the previous week turned himself in (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 April 2000). Local Serbs accused U.S. forces of "blackmail" by allegedly withholding escorts for Serbian convoys through Albanian areas until the man surrendered, Reuters reported. PM [22] CROATIA AGREES TO EXAMINATION OF MASS GRAVEThe Croatian government on 9 April gave the Hague-based warcrimes tribunal permission to examine a reported mass grave of ethnic Serbs in the Gospic area. The Serbs are believed to have been killed by Croatian nationalists in 1991 solely on the basis of their ethnicity. PM [23] CROATIA ONE STEP CLOSER TO NATOJavier Ruperez, who is chairman of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly,told Croatian parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic in Zagreb on 10 April that Croatia has been admitted to the assembly as an observer. PM [24] STRIKE EXPANDS IN CROATIAWorkers at the Pik agricultural enterprise are continuing theirprotest for back wages by blocking roads in the Vrbovec area. The protest action began several days ago. Union representatives said in Zagreb on 10 April that workers will block the Zagreb-Budapest railway line at two unnamed places if they do not receive their wages by mid-day. Workers told "Jutarnji list" that they must continue their protest because "people are hungry." PM [25] MOLDOVAN POLITICIANS DISMISS 'REPUBLIC' PROPOSALSMoldovan parliamentary chairman Dumitru Diakov on 7 Aprilrejected recent proposals by the Republic movement on how to solve Transdniester problems as "purely provocative," Infotag reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7 April 2000). Presidential spokesman Anatol Golea said on 7 April that the head of state is open to any suggestions that do not contravene the constitution, which stipulates that Moldova is a neutral state. Golea said Republic's proposal is just one of many "extravagant" suggestions that have been made public recently. VG [26] MOLDOVA, RUSSIA SIGN DEBT RESCHEDULINGMoldovan Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Cucu said on 7 April thatMoldova has signed an agreement with Russia to reschedule Moldova's $122 million state debt for 20 years with a five-year pardon period and an interest rate of 7.5 percent, BASA-Press reported. He said the two sides also initialed an agreement on the delivery of Russian gas, which is to be signed in two weeks. In other news, former Prime Minister Ion Sturza has said that he had "a relationship" with the former Soviet KGB between 1983 and 1990, when he worked in institutions connected to foreign relations, Infotag reported. VG [27] BULGARIAN POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN MURDER OF LUKANOVBulgarian police on 7 April arrested a Ukrainian man inconnection with the 1996 murder of Andrei Lukanov, who was a top Socialist Party member. The Ukrainian citizen, Aleksandr Russov, is the sixth suspect to be arrested in connection with the murder of Lukanov. VG [28] BULGARIA WANTS COMMON INFORMATION STRATEGY FOR EU CANDIDATESBulgarian Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova said on 9 Aprilthat the countries aspiring to EU membership should adopt a common information strategy to publicize the challenges involved in joining the EU and to clarify their political positions and strategies, AP reported. Mihailova made her proposal at a conference in Sofia that was attended by delegates from countries striving for EU membership. VG [29] BULGARIA URGES EU TO APPOINT CHIEF NEGOTIATORA Bulgarian Foreign Ministry official said on 7 April that hiscountry is concerned about the fact that the EU has yet to appoint a chief negotiator for membership talks with Bulgaria, Reuters reported. The official said it could be another two or three months before the EU appoints a negotiator, which, he argued, "is too slow." He added that the country fears that the delay will "not have a positive effect on the talks." VG [C] END NOTE[30] MONTENEGRO TO EXPAND ITS DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE ABROADBy Patrick MooreThe Montenegrin leadership has been prudently pursuing a political framework that will enable it to develop its own democracy and economy. It is now preparing to gradually extend its activities on the diplomatic front. Last year, Podgorica proposed a concrete set of measures for redefining the terms of the federation with Serbia. It soon became clear that Belgrade was not willing to talk seriously and was more interested in undermining the leadership of President Milo Djukanovic through local Milosevic supporters, the military, and an economic blockade. Podgorica consequently continued with its gradualist approach toward what will certainly be all but independence. The gradualism is the result of a variety of considerations. First, Djukanovic and his team know what is possible and what is not. They know that they need the economic, political, diplomatic, and perhaps military support of the EU and U.S. if they are to succeed. Brussels and Washington, however, have made it clear that they do not relish the prospect of the further disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. Instead, they want Montenegro to stay within Yugoslavia and support the cause of democracy in Serbia. The Montenegrin leaders are under no illusions about what they can do for Serbia. They have said repeatedly and publicly that only the Serbs can reform and regenerate Serbia. But as long as the international community frowns upon Montenegrin independence, Djukanovic speaks of a referendum on the subject only in vague terms as something for the future. A second reason why he does not press ahead is that he does not have the strong domestic support for independence that Slovenia's Milan Kucan and Croatia's Franjo Tudjman had in 1991. The key issue is that there has never been a clear consensus among Montenegrins as to whether they are a distinct, separate people or a special branch of the Serbian nation. This problem has bedeviled Montenegrin politics since the 19th century and will not be resolved soon. It is the basic question that underlies the current dispute with Belgrade. Thus it is not surprising that Djukanovic won the presidency in late 1997 with barely half the vote. He defeated the pro- Milosevic Momir Bulatovic only with the support of the Muslim and Albanian minorities. Public opinion polls suggest that there is still no clear backing for independence, despite two years of provocations by Bulatovic's followers and by pro-Milosevic activities by the army. Bulatovic knows that and has sought to shore up his position. He and his supporters have sought to make political capital out of the fact that Djukanovic needed minority votes to get elected. The pro-Milosevic camp has also cynically noted cases of corruption and mafia-like activities among Djukanovic's backers, knowing full well that the two camps had not yet separated at the start of the Wars of the Yugoslav Succession in 1991 and both profited handsomely from sanctions-busting in the following years. Milosevic's supporters have also sought to consolidate their backing among the "clans" and other people in the northern and mountainous territories that were added to the historical Montenegrin kingdom during or after 1878. People in this area tend to support union with Serbia. But not all matters are black and white. Djukanovic told "RFE/RL Balkan Report" in Prague in October 1999 that opinion in the north is changing and that, in any case, "we have things under control." In the long run, Podgorica is counting on growing support for its policies as voters increasingly come to perceive the link with Milosevic's Serbia as detrimental to Montenegro's and to their own personal economic interests. In the meantime, Djukanovic has been taking concrete steps. In November 1999, he introduced the German mark as a parallel currency to the Yugoslav dinar to guard Montenegro against exported inflation from Serbia. He and his lieutenants frequently go abroad and make their views known to the international media. His latest move is to expand Montenegro's fledgling diplomatic presence. His backers argue that Montenegro has the oldest tradition of statehood of any country in today's Balkans and that the demise of the Montenegrin kingdom at the end of World War I does not change previous history. They say it is only natural for Montenegro to have its own representatives abroad, as do, for example, many U.S. or German federal states. On 6 April, Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac was even more blunt. He charged that Belgrade's "diplomatic network does not serve the interests of [Montenegro]. Since Montenegro has great need for international cooperation and since the world is interested in supporting Montenegro to help it develop, we must establish our own state bodies and a network abroad." Podgorica already has missions in Washington, London, Ljubljana, and Brussels. Lukovac now wants to add New York, Moscow, Skopje, and Sarajevo to the list. And certainly an office in the Zagreb of President Stipe Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan cannot be far off. Lukovac stressed that "we are also interested in establishing the best possible relations with Croatia." The main issue on the agenda for Zagreb-Podgorica relations involves Croatia's Prevlaka peninsula, which controls the entrance to Montenegro's Kotor Bay. Located there is the Yugoslav navy's only deep-water base. Podgorica has suggested that Montenegro and Croatia should quickly solve the problem between themselves, since Belgrade has shown little interest in doing so. So far, Zagreb has dealt with the federal government. That may not be the case for long. 10-04-00 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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